FIFA World Cup 2026 — Bellingham rediscovers his smile to end Aztec rule in Mexico

History, circumstances and a raucous home ground were behind Mexico, while painful memories and altitude weighed heavily on England before the World Cup 16 match in Mexico City.

But on Sunday, from the dizzying heights in the cauldron of the Estadio Azteca, Jude Bellingham towered over every player on the pitch and lifted 10-man England to a famous victory over co-hosts Mexico and into the quarter-finals of the World Cup.

It was impossible to escape Mexico’s almost inevitable record in the capital during the build-up. But this was a setting tailor-made for Bellingham to re-announce itself after an up-and-down year, handing Mexico its first ever World Cup defeat at this venue.

Bellingham, 23, leads England’s attack. His four goals are only behind captain Harry Kane’s six, making it seem inconceivable that Bellingham was ever tipped to start on the bench for the World Cup. His head coach Thomas Tuchel had also convinced everyone that Bellingham had to fight to earn his place and join the brotherhood that the German wants to bring to this group.

Few English players are as divided in opinion as Bellingham. Tipped as England’s next great hope at the age of 17, it’s hard not to stay out of the spotlight, both in the spectacular and in the hard.

During the Euro 2024 campaign, he quickly turned from savior to scapegoat, losing his smile. During the defeat to Spain in the final, the then 21-year-old’s angry gestures towards then boss Gareth Southgate and his tactics did not go down too well in England.

Just over a year ago, even his mother found Bellingham’s fiery personality on the ‘repulsive’ side, according to Tuchel. He urged Bellingham to channel his ‘fire’ and ‘edge’ towards the opponent and the opponent’s goal, rather than using it against his own teammates to intimidate them.

While Tuchel continued to back his talent and promised the No. In his tenth role for him, it was Morgan Rogers who ushered Bellingham into a starting spot when England landed in Kansas City.

All the while, Tuchel was desperate to make the most of Bellingham’s special talent for scoring goals while playing behind the striker. «He has the ability to get in and score goals that a number nine would score, which is very unusual. They may seem like easy goals, but getting into these positions is one of his outstanding qualities,» Tuchel noted last November.

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The sixteen day preparation period appears to have allowed Bellingham to re-establish himself as England’s main man, which was backed up by a well-taken goal against Croatia in the opener, followed by another finish in the win over Panama.

But the manner of the double attack in the space of 98 seconds against Mexico would have satisfied Tuchel more. For the first goal, Bellingham made a late, penetrating run into the penalty area, slipping away from Roberto Alvarado, to meet Bukayo Saka’s far post cross with his head on mid-flight and put England ahead.

About half a minute later he set up Kane on the right and continued to run into the box. When Kane scored the ball low, Bellingham pushed his way through for Erik Lira to poke the ball home. Of his ten international goals, seven have come in major tournaments, which underlines his penchant for bright lights.

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Yet his contribution went beyond just objectives. His relentless work rate was equally decisive in keeping Mexico within an arm’s length of England’s slim lead. He made a last-ditch effort to hook the ball away from the feet of Cesar Montes to prevent Mexico from erasing England’s lead late in the first half.

Reduced to 10 men for almost 45 minutes in the second period, England dug deep, with Bellingham epitomizing that resilience. As the England players enjoyed the win, Bellingham looked to Djed Spence, who played the final 25 minutes despite not being fully fit, to give him credit.

Having written his own piece of history with his two goals at the Azteca – matched only by the legendary Diego Maradona, who achieved his crowning moment in 1986 – Bellingham was the last player to leave the field. As a group of England supporters serenaded him with ‘Hey, Jude’, he stood still and immersed in admiration, all the while finding his smile again.

Published on July 6, 2026